When news of the classic TV series The Man From U.N.C.L.E. first broke a few years ago, the director was Steven Soderbergh and his rumored pick to play Napoleon Solo was Channing Tatum. But things change and directors and actors come and go, because Tom Cruise eventually accepted the role with director Guy Ritchie, who had accepted his inevitability as guy who remakes things (like Sherlock Holmes, Treasure Island and Cannonball Run).

But now Cruise has dropped out in order to focus on Mission: Impossible 5 or 9 or 12, which means that Warner Bros. must now scramble to find a new Napoleon to pair with Armie Hammer so they can begin filming in the fall as planned.

Cruise was scheduled to star in the film with Armie Hammer, but he has stepped out of the picture to focus on producing and starring in Mission: Impossible 5. Paramount and Skydance are now planning to begin shooting the latest installment of that franchise before year’s end. Warner Bros has a script they like, and a top director who’s expecting to direct U.N.C.L.E. in the fall. The timing proved too difficult and so Cruise stepped out to focus on M:I5. (Via Deadline)

I mean, I know it was just a rumor the last time that I wrote about this, but I’m going to go ahead and reignite the “Channing Tatum as Napoleon Solo” buzz again, as he’s about to break box office records with White House Down. I don’t know which specific records he’s going to break, mind you, but I’m sure I can come up with one using science and stuff.